CarAdvicecaught up with JaguarLand Rover's communications and PR general manager, Tim Krieger, during a media event in Saint Tropez, and he said the Defender will be revealed later this year, with deliveries starting in 2020.

"There will be something around Frankfurt [in September]. Whether it's at the motor show or whether it's an out-of-show event, we're sorting that out at the moment, with Australia in early 2020," Krieger told the Australian outlet. That jibes with what the brand previously said about sales starting in 2020 here in the states, following a 2019 reveal.

Land Rover officials were tight-lipped about a reveal date last week at the New York auto show. But Massimo Frascella, the brand's creative director, said Defender would help anchor the whole strategy for the brand, with Discovery slotting in-between the Defender and Range Rover families.

"Defender is going to be a very different vehicle from both Discovery and Range Rover," Frascella told Autoblog. "By nature it's going to rebalance the whole strategy."

"It will be the best 4x4 by far, I will say that," he said, adding, "not that Discovery is not a great off-roader or Range Rover is not a fantastic off-roader, probably more than anyone will ever need. We know that we have fans of our brand that take those cars off road, but it's a fact that most customers will never do that. There's something that is quite reassuring knowing that the car can do certain things."

It's been more than 20 years since the boxy, Jeep-like Defender was last sold in the U.S., following a five-year run here. We know that the new version will offer two- and four-door variants, an updated take on the old Defender's boxy body, a rear hatch split between the upper and side-swinging lower door, short front and rear overhangs, and fully independent suspension.